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Impacts of succession and grass encroachment on heathland Orthoptera

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Abstract

For the conservation of biodiversity, heathlands present important ecosystems throughout Europe. The formerly widespread habitats are nowadays restricted to small and isolated remnants. Without land use heathland vegetation undergoes succession and, in addition, the increasing amount of atmospheric nitrogen deposition has resulted in an encroachment of grasses. In the present study we analysed the effects of succession and grass encroachment on Orthoptera in a coastal heathland on the Baltic island of Hiddensee, Germany. Vegetation, microclimate, soil humidity and Orthoptera were sampled in the five main stages of heathland succession, namely grey dunes, dwarf-shrub heath, grassy heath, heath with shrubs, and birch forest. Vegetation and environmental parameters showed strong differences among the successional stages. Orthoptera species richness was highest in transitional stages. The high proportion of grasses offer favourable habitat conditions for graminivorous, chorto- and thamnobiont species. Orthoptera density was highest in grey dunes. Threatened and specialised species were restricted to the young stages grey dunes and dwarf-shrub heath. Hence, in order to maintain a high diversity of Orthoptera in heathlands, maintaining different successional stages is of critical importance and this should be integrated into heathland management practices.

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Acknowledgments

The study was funded by the Bauer-Hollmann Foundation (Stifterverband für die deutsche Wissenschaft) as part of the research project “Biodiversity, Ecology and Management of Coastal Habitats of the Baltic Sea”. The authors would like to thank S. Buchholz (Berlin), J. Schalajda (Winterthur) and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Station of Hiddensee, University of Greifswald, Biologenweg 15, 18565, Isle of Hiddensee, Germany

    Jens Schirmel & Irmgard Blindow

  2. Department of Landscape Ecology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Grimmerstr. 88, 17487, Greifswald, Germany

    Jasmin Mantilla-Contreras

  3. Department of Community Ecology, Institue of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Robert-Koch-Str. 26, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Thomas Fartmann

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  1. Jens Schirmel
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Correspondence to Jens Schirmel.

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Schirmel, J., Mantilla-Contreras, J., Blindow, I. et al. Impacts of succession and grass encroachment on heathland Orthoptera. J Insect Conserv 15, 633–642 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-010-9362-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-010-9362-7

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